ST. PETERSBURG, August 30 (RIA Novosti correspondent Olga Vtorova) - Baltiisky Zavod, a St. Petersburg-based ship maker, has completed a mini submarine that can dive to 21,000 feet, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The manned vessel has been tested successfully at a St. Petersburg plant and will be transferred to a foreign customer shortly, the spokesman said.
The submersible is 24ft long and 9ft wide with walls at a maximum of 0.4 ft. It can accommodate three crewmembers.
"The submersible will be primarily used for research in deep areas of the Pacific Ocean and prospecting for natural resources deposits," the plant said.
Russia, the United States, and Japan are the only countries that have mini submarines capable of diving to a depth of nearly 21,000ft.
The spokesman said the Russian Defense Ministry was currently in talks with the plant on producing a similar vessel for the Russian navy.
